Figurative Language - Song, Outline, and Annotated Bibliography Part I: Song Lyrics: The Winner Takes it All by ABBA Commented [VGG1]: Do you mean essay? You are now at the essay phase of the assignment (exam 500503), so revise accordingly. Your final submission for 500503 should also have both a separate Annotated Bibliography and Works Cited page. About the things we've gone through Though it's hurting me Now it's history I've played all my cards And that's what you've done too Nothing more to say No more ace to play The loser standing small Beside the victory That's her destiny I was in your arms Thinking I belonged there I figured it made sense Building me a fence Building me a home Thinking I'd be strong there But I was a fool Playing by the rules The gods may throw a dice Their minds as cold as ice And someone way down here Loses someone dear The loser has to fall It's simple and it's plain Why should I complain But tell me does she kiss Like I used to kiss you? Does it feel the same When she calls your name? Somewhere deep inside You must know I miss you
But what can I say Rules must be obeyed The judges will decide The likes of me abide Spectators of the show Always staying low The game is on again A lover or a friend A big thing or a small If it makes you feel sad And I understand You've come to shake my hand I apologize If it makes you feel bad Seeing me so tense No self-confidence But you see So the winner takes it all And the the loser has to fall Throw a dice, cold as ice Way down here, someone dear Takes it all, has to fall It seems plain to me
Part 1:Essay Title and History of the Song Meaning of the Song Reception and Nielsen Ratings Part 2: OUTLINE Commented [VGG2]: As I noted above, exam 500503 must be an essay, not an outline. Use your ideas from the final prewriting, along with my final revision suggestions, to put your ideas into unified paragraph format. (Chapter 8 covers writing unified body paragraphs; Chapter 7 covers introductions and conclusions.) Part 2: Analysis of the song About the things we've gone through Though it's hurting me Now it's history hyperbole, or exaggeration. No relationship becomes history in the contextual sense of the word. History described as inquiry, acquired by investigation. This is also a colloquialism, since it is a commonly-used phrase. It is also a metaphor because the relationship is equated to something else. I've played all my cards- Metaphor which equates a relationship to a game of cards. And that's what you've done too Nothing more to say No more ace to play- Metaphor- the relationship has run its course, and there is nothing else to set forth to fix it. - This is a metaphor where the person who comes ahead in a failed relationship is equated to a winner that takes all the earnings. It could also be hyperbole because there is not that much to gain once a relationship has failed to work. The loser standing small- Another metaphor that puts the person who suffers in the relationship as a loser standing next to a winner. It seems to be referring to the singer, herself. Beside the victory That's her destiny I was in your arms- Figurative way to say I was in a relationship with you. It is hyperbole and metaphor combined because you cannot be in someone s arms unless you are being consistently held, or if you are a baby. Thinking I belonged there I figured it made sense Building me a fence Building me a home Another metaphor, where she equates the relationship to some fortress, or
secure space for her. Thinking I'd be strong there But I was a fool Playing by the rules Aside from the rhyming of sense/fence, there/her, fool/ rules, there is the metaphor again of love being some card game. The gods may throw a dice Their minds as cold as ice And someone way down here Loses someone dear- This is deification, or awarding godly traits to specific things, such as luck or life or death. In this case, the singer claims that relationship losses are due to some beings that are careless and mindless and take our joys away. The loser has to fall It's simple and it's plain Why should I complain- This is a rhyme of the same letters. But tell me does she kiss Like I used to kiss you? Does it feel the same When she calls your name? Somewhere deep inside You must know I miss you But what can I say Rules must be obeyed This stanza does not contain too much figurative language and focuses more on rhyme. The judges will decide The likes of me abide Spectators of the show Always staying low The game is on again Here is a personification given to fate, or luck, as to how love goes in relationships. She takes away the mundane aspects of it, and replaces it with the use of figurative language, metaphor, equating luck in love to some cosmic judgement. A lover or a friend A big thing or a small- juxtaposition of adjectives that are opposites. -There is rhyme here. If it makes you feel sad And I understand You've come to shake my hand
I apologize If it makes you feel bad- one notable thing is that this song s language, while figurative, remains simple enough to be understood. The creative license is succinct. Seeing me so tense No self-confidence- true rhyme of the exact ending sounds But you see - repetition Part 3: Annotated Bibliography Algeo, J., Thomas P. (2014) The Origin and Development of the English Language. 5th edition. New York: Pearson Commented [VGG3]: All annotations must be at least three sentences in length. Include a summary of the source, how you ll use the source, and what is unique about the source. This is a compendium of all literary terms used in written pieces. It also defines where the English language comes from, from its Germanic roots and all the way until now. The textbook also shows the tendency of language to expand and become more extensive with time. Cuddon, J. A. (2013) The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. London: Penguin Books. This is another dictionary of general terms for figurative language. All the terms are included in this book in alphabetical order. It is a needful book to be able to identify all the ways in which writers utilize language to convey an idea. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=3845. Song-Facts.com. September 10, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2017. These are the facts about the song The Winner Takes It All, according to songwriter Bjorn Ulvaeus, and other information gathered from different interviews. Ulvaeus, Bjorn, (1981) The Winner Takes It All. Musical score. This is the entire score and lyrics of the song The Winner Takes It All by ABBA as explained by lead songwriter, Bjorn Ulvaeus. Ulvaeus, Bjorn (2013) Interview about the Creative process. Chef Magazine Online http://www.icethesite.com/2010/10/full-bjorn-interview-in-chef-magazine/ November, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2017
This is an interview in Chef Magazine where Bjorn Ulvaeus explains the steps to come up with the song, how he explained to his ex-wife that she would be the one singing this song about breakups, and that it was an organic process to sing the song because the love for music superseded their personal issues as a couple.